


A Knight's Duty

by AleneShazam



Series: Knights and Fantasy AU [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, High Fantasy, Knight!Yo, Limb-loss warning, Oneshot, Quests, medieval angst, mild politics, witch!yoshiko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 16:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12214158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AleneShazam/pseuds/AleneShazam
Summary: “It’s my duty to serve the kingdom.” Yo says, quietly.“Even if you die?” Yohane asks offhandedly.“To the death.” Yo answers, deadly serious.(YouHane! Fantasy AU: Yohane is a Witch, and Yo is a Royal Knight. Warning: Non-graphic loss of limb involved in the story)((Alt Title: Yohane tries to stop Yo from overworking to the death))





	A Knight's Duty

**Author's Note:**

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Watanabe Yo. Royal knight, first class. Her duty is to the people of the kingdom of Ura, defending the populace from any and all threats, be it foreign invaders or supernatural dangers. The burden is great, but her shield is strong. The enemies are numerous, but her sword is sharp.

Today, she continues to tirelessly carry out her duty.

*****

“Shit… this is pretty bad, huh…”

Yo murmurs, as she hobbles through the quickly darkening forest. Her entire body feels like it’s been passed through a grinder, and there’s not much left of her plate armor, leaving her with only a thin bloodstained tunic covering her body.

It was supposed to be a straightforward quest, investigating reports of a monstrous lizard plaguing the northern trade routes. When Yo got there, however, what they found wasn’t a simple giant lizard, but a Basilisk - the king of serpents, cursed with a magical gaze that turns its victims to stone.

After a vicious battle, the basilisk’s head now sits in a bag at Yo’s side. But Yo’s armaments are in tatters, her sword is broken in half, and Chika has fallen victim to the creature’s gaze. Even now, carrying her on her back, Yo can feel Chika’s rigid body pressing down on her, a reminder of Yo’s failure.

Even if Chika volunteered to go on the trip with her, even if she’s Yo’s squire, she’s still a citizen of Ura, someone Yo is duty-bound to protect. And Yo allowed Chika to get hurt.

“I’m sorry… I messed up…”

Yo knows Chika can’t respond - she’s still alive, but from what Yo can gather, it’s as though her entire body has stopped. She still breathes, and her heart still beats, but she can’t move any other muscle in her body, frozen like a statue: the legendary petrification of the basilisk.

“I can still walk, so I’ll fix this, somehow…”

But even if Yo can walk, the situation is looking dire. She’s unarmed and weakened, and Chika’s incapacitated. The nearest township is at least a day’s walk away. To make things worse, night is falling quickly, and the temperature will plummet at night. Not to mention the wolves and other beasts that come out at night. She’s already been carrying Chika for most of the day, and between exhaustion and her injuries, she’s nearing her limit for physical exertion. She’s felt her consciousness slip a few times already, and she’s only sustaining herself with a determination to keep Chika safe.

…She needs to find shelter, and fast. Otherwise they’re just sitting ducks for nighttime predators.

“I’m gonna try and find shelter for the night, okay?”

Adjusting her posture slightly so Chika’s secure, Yo continues to march on, keeping an eye out for any caves or outcroppings they can take shelter under.

For once, though, luck seems to be on Yo’s side, as she soon spots the entrance to a cave in the distance. Looking around to make sure there aren’t animal tracks that signify the cave is already occupied, Yo breathes out a sigh of relief at the lucky break, and goes into the cave. She doesn’t have a flint or anything to start a fire, but having cover from wind and possible rain is plenty enough.

She offloads Chika from her back, lying her on the floor in what’s hopefully a comfortable pile of dried leaves she foraged outside. She tries to get up again, to look for kindling for a fire, but as soon as she gets up her head starts to spin, and she falls against the cave wall, her vision darkening. She tries to steady herself, but a wave of nausea assaults her, and she stumbles, falling to her knees.

“Ah, crap…”

She shakes her head, trying to clear it. At this rate she won’t be able to protect Chika… if she passes out now, it’ll be all over…!

“Um… excuse me?”

She looks up sharply, even if her vision is still spotty and blurry. A cloaked figure is standing at the entrance of the cave - since when did they appear? Yo didn’t notice them at all. She sounds female - and if Yo tries really hard she can see the figure has long hair.

“What are you doing in front of my house?”

Her… house? Yo tries to formulate a response, to explain what had happened. She opens her mouth, but the nausea comes back with a vengeance, and she gags, almost throwing up instead. The woman sighs, and crouches down next to Yo, reaching beneath her cloak and pulling out a glass vial. She pops the top, and passes it to Yo.

“Whatever. Drink - and follow me. Bring your friend, too.”

Yo wants to protest that she can barely even stand up anymore, but as she gulps down the viscous contents of the vial, she suddenly feels her exhaustion evaporate, the pain and tiredness bleeding out of her body, replaced by a surge of strength and vigor.

“What… I feel… better?” Yo murmurs, confused.

“That doesn’t _actually_ heal you, though, it just makes your body _think_ it’s healed.” The woman says, heading deeper into the cave. “So hurry up - your friend there doesn’t have forever.”

Yo glances at Chika, and sighs. For now, she’ll trust this woman.

*****

It gets darker and darker as they walk deeper into the cave, and soon Yo can barely see anything at all, just the barest outlines of the woman in front of her. She’s about to ask if she has a torch when the woman stops abruptly, startling Yo.

“Back up a bit,” the woman says offhandedly, and Yo obliges, taking a few steps back.

The woman seems to reach out into the darkness for a moment, then—

Light floods Yo’s vision, and it takes her a while of blinking to be able to see through the spots in her sight. Peering through watery eyes, she’s surprised to find herself confronted by a doorway, a wooden one, set in a wood wall that sections off the rest of the cave.

“Come in,” the woman says, stepping into the doorway and shedding her cloak. “It’s a bit messy, but it’ll have to do for now.”

Yo follows suit, and is caught off guard by what she sees inside. It’s a fully furnished, properly decorated, roughly circular room, which would look perfectly at home in a summer log cabin, rather than deep in a cave in a cursed forest in the middle of nowhere. There’s a large smouldering hearth at the center, warming the room to a pleasant cozy temperature. Next to the hearth is a small table with two chairs, cups and plates recently used still strewn about on the tabletop. A large bed is pushed up against one wall, the sheets messy and wrinkled.

It’s very homely, and for a moment Yo wonders if she’s passed out and is just dreaming all this up after all.

But on closer inspection, Yo starts to get an uneasy feeling.

Many shelves line the walls, filled with all sorts of old and dusty tomes as well as bizarre items such as vials of liquid, jars of preserved creatures, and animal skulls. There’s a cauldron sitting in one corner, bubbling over a smaller smouldering fire, suspended from a metal tripod. Perched precariously on the tripod is a black cat, napping lazily amidst the warm steam from the cauldron. Most telling of all, there’s what looks like a pointed black hat hanging from a coat hanger…

Strange curios… cauldron… black cat… _pointy hat_ …

Yo feels a chill go down her spine. _They’re in a witch’s lair._

Yo has heard stories of witches before. Even participated in hunts of a few of them. They’re foul creatures, twisted by the dark forces they’re in contact with. They wield unnatural powers, and can mix concoctions that could make tame the most ferocious beast… or lay such a creature low. Yo’s seen a witch transform an entire squadron of soldiers into helpless mice before. She’s heard tale of witches kidnapping entire villages, using them in their experiments.

Her instincts tell her to go for her sword, but she’s still holding Chika. There’s no way she can defend herself while protecting Chika at the same time, not in her current state. She beats herself up for being so careless - there’s no way someone living in a godforsaken forest would be normal - she should have rejected the woman’s offer and just tried to make it on her own…!

While she’s frozen in place, the witch runs up to the cauldron and grabs the cat, holding it up by the armpits and giving it a disapproving stare.

“Azazel! What did I say about napping above the cauldron? You’ll get the smoke in your fur!”

_Meow._

“Just because you’re never going to get to meet a lady cat doesn’t mean you should ignore your appearances, you know? You’re the familiar of a great black witch, you should act the part.”

_Meow?_

“It’s Yohane! Yo-Ha-Ne! Not Yoshiko, you dumb cat!”

_Mrow…_

“…I swear, if you weren’t a gift from Mom I’d have…” She breathes in, calming herself down. Placing the cat down on the floor, she crouches down and waggles a finger at the cat. “I have guests to tend to, okay? So don’t get in my way, and be nice.”

 _Mrooow._ The cat blinks languidly, before padding up to the main hearth and curling up beside it.

The woman turns, and gives Yo a mildly apologetic look. “Sorry about that. My cat is a bit of a pain in the ass… a sassy bugger, too. Now, put your friend down on the bed. I’m pretty sure she needs urgent treatment.”

Yo just stares at the woman, on guard. “You’re… you’re a witch.”

“Yes, and you’re about to fall over, so make use of the last bit of strength you’ve got and put her here.” The witch sighs, patting the bed. “Unless you _want_ her to die from asphyxiation.”

Yo narrows her eyes at the witch, but eventually she obliges, walking over to the bed and placing Chika down on it. “If you try _anything_ funny, I’ll kill you.”

“ _Mortals._ ” The witch rolls her eyes, putting her hands up. “Very well. I meant no harm to begin with, but I swear on my stygian soul that I’ll do no harm to you or your companion.”

“Your what?” Yo asks, before she can stop herself.

The witch sighs tiredly. “My _Stygian soul_. All black witches have a sliver of the fallen Morningstar’s essence in their being. It’s what connects us to the darker powers. If I break a swear on my Stygian soul, I lose my powers. _Now_ may I get to saving your companion’s life?”

Yo nods dumbly, and the witch begins to look over Chika, feeling for a pulse, checking her breathing, other things that Yo doesn’t quite understand. Yo watches the witch as she examines Chika’s condition, focused on the task at hand.

It suddenly occurs to Yo that the witch is very pretty - her skin is pale, almost white, like nobility, which contrasts with her dark hair and vivid rosy eyes. Her features are delicate, and there’s an air of mystery about her, as though she’s not of this world. She’s young, too - there’s a softness to her features that makes Yo believe she’s not far from Yo in age.

Yo continues to watch the witch for a long moment before she catches herself and looks away, blushing slightly. To associate herself with a creature of darkness such as a witch - Yo is already committing a heinous crime. She suddenly recalls a story she’d heard, of a witch playing the part of temptress and luring men to their deaths. Perhaps this witch is much the same, using her beauty to lower Yo’s guard.

She grips the hilt of her broken sword, her wariness spiked again.

“Hey.”

Yo jumps, startled. The witch is staring at her, with those intense magenta eyes. “W-What?”

“You two had a run in with a basilisk, right? The petrification pattern is very distinct.”

“Y-Yeah. Chika got hit with its cursed stare, and got like this…”

Yo bites her lip, recalling how Chika locked eyes with the basilisk, and immediately tensed up, her limbs starting to lock up.

“Oh, don’t tell me you believe in that silly myth.”

The witch rolls her eyes, standing up and moving around the room, gathering up an armful of various items from the shelves that line the walls. “There’s no such thing as a cursed gaze. Even if there were, basilisks haven’t an inch of magic in their eyeballs. The basilisk paralyzes its prey by spitting out a colorless, tasteless poison that forces the body into a false state of rigor mortis. I’m mixing an antidote to the poison right now. You’re lucky her lungs haven’t been affected yet, otherwise she’d have suffocated.”

Yo blinks, confused. She only gets a bit of what the witch had said, but she still nodded along. She understands that the witch is trying to cure Chika, though, and that’s enough for her.

She watches, as the witch puts the items she gathered on the bedside of where Chika’s lying, and picks out two vials, one containing a powder and another a thick gel. She empties the gel into a bowl, and sprinkles the powder on top. She then takes a dried branch, and peels some bark off, crumbling the wood and adding it to the bowl. Finally, she uncorks a tall bottle of what looks like wine, and drizzles it into the bowl.

As she starts to mix all the ingredients together, she explains, “This is a combination of muscle activators and looseners. It should counteract the effects of the basilisk poison. I could make something better if I had a sample, but I’m not eager to go poking around a basilisk’s mouth.”

“Oh, if you need a sample, I’ve got it’s head here.” Yo holds up the sack by her side.

The witch stops, and stares at Yo.

“You’ve got it’s _what_?”

“It’s head. See?”

Yo opens the back, pointing it towards the witch. The witch peeks inside, does a small take, and looks back up at Yo with a glint of newfound respect - or at least approval - in her eyes.

“What was your name again? I don’t think it ever got brought up.” She asks, with mildly more interest as she takes the sack and pulls the head of the basilisk out.

“Knight Yo, of House Watanabe.” Yo says, with pride.

“Hm. I am Yohane of the Black Grove. Charmed.” Yohane does a small curtsey.

 _Mrow._ Her black cat - Azazel, if Yo recalls correctly - meows suddenly. Yohane glares at the cat. “It’s _not_ Yoshiko, Azazel. If you say anymore of that nonsense I’m putting you into the cauldron.”

The cat sticks its tongue out at Yohane, and continues to nap by the fireplace.

Yohane, meanwhile, breaks off a fang from the mouth of the basilisk, and holds it over the bowl, shaking it a few times. Sure enough, a clear liquid drips from the fang, hissing as it falls into the bowl. The concoction begins to steam, and Yohane dips a spoon into the bowl, pulling out a spoonful of foul brownish green mixture. She feeds it to Chika, a little bit dribbling out of the corner of her frozen mouth, but Yohane doesn’t seem to mind, nodding in satisfaction.

“There. In a week or so she’ll be able to walk again, and she’ll be conscious long before that.” Yohane turns, and stalks over to Yo. “Now, your turn.”

“M-My turn?” Yo blinks, surprised.

“Your arm is going to get black rot if you don’t treat it. And if you managed to kill a basilisk, I’m sure that’s not the only injury you have right now.”

“Oh. Right.”

Yo had been so focused on Chika that she almost forgot she’s wounded as well. She nods, and presents her arm to Yohane.

Yohane shakes her head, gesturing at her blood-soaked tunic. “You’re going to have to take that off, too.”

“Huh?” Yo blushes, her voice going a few octaves higher.

“Well, you probably have wounds all over, so— it’s not for anything else! It’s not. Yohane is beyond such earthly temptations.” Yohane looks away, in a way she probably thinks is dismissive.

Yo finds it cute, but she’s more concerned with the truth in her statement. Now that she’s thinking about it, she’s aching all over, and whatever wonder potion Yohane gave her is starting to wear off and she’s—

Oh, she’s on the ground. Her legs aren’t responding anymore.

“…Help?”

Yohane sighs, and moves over to the fire, grabbing a bedroll that’s been lying around and spreading it out. She then drags Yo over to the bedroll, laying her down on it.

“Your body’s going into shock. At last. I thought you’d be out by the time we got here, but you held on for longer than expected…”

She uncorks another potion and puts it to Yo’s mouth. “Drink. It’ll keep you from dying on me.”

Yo drinks it obediently - not like she has much other choice - and immediately the aching in her body ceases. As does all feeling in her limbs, and most sensations from the neck down.

Yohane drags a box over, and opens it, pulling out a set of needles and thread, alongside a bottle of something or another.

“So — how did you end up tangling with a basilisk? That’s some serious bad luck.”

“Well, actually I- OW!”

Yohane suddenly stabs Yo with a needle. It’s dulled, but it still hurts like a bitch. She looks Yo in the eyes, seriously. “Keep talking. It’ll help.”

“I- uh, I’m a royal knight. I was sent on a quest to hunt down the basilisk plaguing the northern trade routes.”

“Just you?” Yohane stops, eying Chika. “The two of you?”

Yo shrugs. “Those are my orders.”

Yohane bites her lip. “That’s ridiculous. Two people hunting a basilisk, without preparation or magic? It’s borderline suicidal.”

“To be fair, we didn’t _know_ it was a basilisk. We were told it was a giant lizard.”

“ _Still_. You’d think the royalty would be able to spare more troops. Unless…” Yohane narrows her eyes, a terrible idea crossing her mind. “Is someone in the Court against you? I’m not exactly updated on the current political landscape, but I’m almost certain you don’t sent a single knight out to kill a creature that can decimate an entire trade route.”

Yo looks away, and Yohane gets the distinct impression she’s trying hard not to think about it.

“It’s my duty to serve the kingdom.” Yo says, quietly.

“Even if you die?” Yohane asks offhandedly.

“To the death.” Yo answers, deadly serious.

Yohane stares at her for a while before shaking her head. “This is why I can’t get along with knights. Duty this, and duty that. Life is more than a job description, you know? Live a little.”

“It’s not so simple. I don’t expect a witch who lives outside of the boundaries of civilization to understand.”

“Try me.”

Yo breathes out, staring up at the ceiling. “Knighthood is more than a title. It’s a promise, a… a debt, even. I owe a life debt to the last queen of Ura. She made me into the person I am now. In return, I swore to serve and protect her kingdom with my life. I’m more than just one person now. I carry the burdens of Ura on my shoulders.”

“Isn’t it a heavy burden for one person to carry?”

Yo smiles, and shakes her head. “I’m strong enough to carry it.”

Yohane glances at the lopped-off basilisk head, and quietly agrees with her.

*****

The next day Yo wakes up wrapped in clean linen bandages, dressed in a fresh tunic, and tucked in comfortable fur blankets. She doesn’t remember when she fell asleep - they were chatting, and Yohane was still treating her wounds when exhaustion and the medication combined finally dragged her mind into unconsciousness.

She sits up, surprised to find her muscles responding perfectly well. There’s no ache or soreness, except in her arm where the worst of her injuries are. She stretches carefully for a few minutes, before standing up to wander around the cave.

There’s much she doesn’t understand about Yohane’s lair. As a noble’s daughter, Yo has been taught to read and write, but the books on the bookcases seem to be written in arcane languages beyond her understanding. The titles boast strange and obscure things, such like the ‘Necronomicon’ the ‘Book of Eibon’, and ‘Twilight’.

She then goes over to the bed, where Chika is resting. She’s relieved to find that her limbs have started to loosen, and her body is no longer tense and rigid like before. She’s still unconscious, though, and Yo has no mind to disturb her.

 _Mrow._ Yo looks down. Yohane’s cat, Azazel, is pawing at her feet, looking up at her with inquisitive green eyes.

“Hello, Azazel.” Yo says, crouching down. The cat’s ears flick at her use of the name, as though it understands her words.

Then again, Azazel _is_ a witch’s cat. Yo wouldn’t be surprised if it spoke.

“You wouldn’t know where your master is, would you?” Yo asks, scratching Azazel behind the ears. It purrs, and looks up behind Yo.

Yo turns around, and there Yohane is, her arms crossed and smirking. “I see you’ve befriended Azazel. He doesn’t take easy to strangers, you know? He must see something in you.”

Yo scoops Azazel up in her arms, and straightens up, looking at Yohane. “Where have you been?” She asks, curious. Yohane seems to be wearing traveling clothes - a thick cloak, and a bulging bag at her side.

“Breakfast,” Yohane says, and upends her bag, pouring out a sizeable pile of berries and fruit. Yo notes, with a bit of a frown, that there’s no meat. As though reading her thoughts, Yohane laughs. “I don’t kill. The ghosts will haunt me if I take a soul.”

Yo sighs, and shrugs, tucking in to the vegetarian meal. Yohane picks at a few berries as well, but eats markedly less than Yo does. Azazel lazily paws at the berries, before finally settling down on Yohane’s lap.

After a while, Yo speaks up, though she keeps her voice quiet. “I should be leaving, soon. My people expect me to return by nightfall, and without a horse it’ll surely take me even longer to return to the Keep.”

Yohane nods slowly, munching ponderously on an apple-like fruit. “Yes, I suspected that was the case. I can arrange for a ride, so you don’t have to worry. It’ll only last you a few hours, but that should be enough to return you to your territory.”

“What about Chika?”

Yohane glances at the sleeping woman. “She can remain here. I will keep her safe, and see to her treatment. If you return in a week, she’ll be good to take back.”

“Hm.” Yo nods. She’s surprised she’s so quick to trust the witch, but Yohane hasn’t done anything to hurt the two of them in the time they’ve stayed in her lair. Despite their differences, Yo finds Yohane’s company affable - enjoyable, even - and she’s willing to leave the safety of her friend in Yohane’s hands. Only a fool would dare cross a witch.

Once they’re done with breakfast, Yo sighs, and straps her broken sword to her side. She just doesn’t feel right without it.

“I should get going, then.”

Yohane nods, and stands up, leading the way out of the cave. Standing in the sun again, Yo takes a moment to breathe in the fresh air, soaking in the outside world after being cooped up in the cave.

“How do you not feel mouldy, living in that cave your whole life?” Yo asks, glancing at Yohane.

The witch shrugs, watching the clouds crawl across the sky. “It’s home. It was home for my mother, and my mother’s mother, and her mother as well. Our coven have lived here for generations… though I’m the last of my family.”

“What happened to the others? I thought a coven would be larger…”

Yohane gives Yo a cold look, the most emotionless Yo’s seen from her thus far. Yo has to suppress a shiver as Yohane says, “A few simply went missing, never to return. Some left to find the missing, and they never came back, either. A few were lost to knights, hunted down and killed.”

She says the last part pointedly, giving Yo a look that chilled her to her bones. But then she smiles, and it’s like the inhuman coldness was never in her being, though Yo can still feel the icy gaze from a moment ago on her skin.

“But- that’s in the past. And I’ve striven to reform myself into a witch capable of living in harmony with the world.” She smiles thinly. “Even silly knights to stumble into my lair in the dark of night.”

Yo chuckles, and stretches her arms out, loosening her limbs for the journey ahead. “So, you talked about a ride?”

“Oh yes, just give me a moment.”

Yohane shifts, reaching under her robes and retrieving — Yo’s stomach flips — the skull of a horse, with all manner of arcane symbols carved into the bone. Yohane looks at it longingly for a moment, before placing it on the ground before Yo.

“I was saving this for a rainy day, but I suppose this is a good enough cause…”

She pulls out a pouch, and draws out a handful of glittering red crystal dust. “Ashes we once were, and ashes we will be— come forth, flesh once dust, and give service to me—”

Yo tilts her head as Yohane sprinkles the dust onto the skull, continuing to murmur in an unfamiliar arcane language. Then she stops, and steps back, gesturing for Yo to back away as well.

Yo does, and before her very eyes the skull begins to rise up into the air, the magical glyphs glowing with an ominous red light. Tendrils of red extend from the base of the skull, wrapping around each other like glowing bloody vines until an ethereal spine suspends from the skull. More tendrils erupt, twisting themselves into a facsimile of a skeletal horse, as well as a saddle and the appropriate regalia fitting of a warhorse. The light fades away after a while, leaving only the skeletal horse, looking like it has always been there.

There’s a moment of silence as the skeletal horse just stays there, then it turns its head slightly, snorting at Yo.

“It recognizes you as its rider, Watanabe Yo.” Yohane pats the ribcage of the skeletal horse. “Go - it’ll last only a few hours. You have a day’s ride ahead of you.”

Yo nods, and with expert ease, mounts up on the skeletal horse, taking its ethereal reins in hand. She glances back at Yohane, and tentatively gives her a wave. There’s a flash of surprise in Yohane’s eyes, before she smiles wryly, and waves back.

Yo then stirs the horse into action, starting with a slow canter that breaks into a gallop. Before long Yohane is out of sight, and it’s just Yo and the ghostly horse, galloping through the cursed woods.

*****

A week later, Yohane is sorting her collection of dried herbs when she notices Azazel’s ears prick up. Knowing her familiar’s senses to be infallible, Yohane closes her eyes and opens her senses as well, tuning in to the ebb and flow of nature around her.

“What is it, Yohane?”

Yohane holds up a finger to her lips in response to Chika, who has been awake since a couple of days ago. She’s only recently regained use of her legs, but she’s already up at at it, exploring the room and the caverns beyond which once belonged to Yohane’s coven.

Chika takes the hint, and stays quiet. She’s also learned to respect Yohane’s abilities, after Yohane took offence to one of her comments and turned her into a frog.

Yohane’s ears prick, and she smiles. “We’re about to have company. One… no, two horses, riding in from the west.”

“The west…” Chika does some thinking in her head, before her expression turns into a bright smile. “That’s the direction of home! Do you think it’s Yo?”

Yohane shrugs. “My senses only extend so far, and only with so much clarity. The Power is useful, but not omnipotent.”

They continue on with their work for the while - Yohane continuing to sift through box after box of mixed herbs, cursing her past self for lack of organization, while Chika plays with Azazel. Or, chases after Azazel, as the cat doesn’t seem much impressed by the woman’s enthusiasm. Eventually she catches up with the cat, and despite the cat’s mewled protests, she curls up with the cat on the bed, resting her recovering body.

Finally, Azazel is fed up with Chika’s unskilled petting - more fitting for a dog than a refined feline - and uses the little magical Power it has inside to disappear in a poof of smoke, reappearing in Yohane’s lap. It meows at Yohane, and the witch seems to consider the cat’s words (?) carefully before placing the cat on her shoulder and rising to her feet.

“Stay here, Chika. I’ll go welcome the guests. If my Sight is correct, it _should_ be your friends - but it could be a trick.”

Donning her finest black cloak, and slipping on her hat, she steps out of the room, though not forgetting to stop by the mirror at the door to tidy herself up. She wants to present herself at her best to her guests.

Padding through the darkness, seeing through her Power and the eyes of Azazel, it doesn’t take long for her to navigate out of the cave into the sun. She draws her hat down instinctively, keeping an eye on the forest. The undergrowth conceals much, but she can feel through the ground approaching hoofbeats, and the excited breaths of two people.

Sure enough, within minutes two horses come thundering into view - one ridden by a familiar armoured knight, the other by a stranger - with wine-red hair and golden eyes, and a certain timidness to her demeanour. She certainly doesn’t seem at home on a charging warhorse, clutching at her reins until her knuckles turned white. They slow to a stop as they approach Yohane, the warhorses sniffing the air curious as they come to a halt.

This time, seeing Yo in full gleaming regalia, her sword at her side, a shining garland of nobility upon her brow, Yohane smiles and bows respectfully.

“Royal Knight Yo of House Watanabe, I, Yohane of the Black Grove, welcome you to the lands of my coven.”

Taken aback by the formality for a moment, Yo panics for a moment before nodding clumsily in reply. Yohane chuckles, and straightens up. “Welcome back to my lair, Yo.”

She glances at Yo’s companion, and inclines her head. “And you are?”

“Oh, erm, this is my chamberlain, Sakurauchi Riko. She’s also— well, you’ll see.” Yo smiles, and dismounts from her horse, before helping Riko with getting off hers.

“Lady Riko, then.” Yohane nods her head politely at Riko, who shakes her head quickly.

“Just… Riko will be fine. My standing is not as high as Lady Watanabe, and you refer to her name normally…”

Yo sighs in exasperation. “For the last time, if we’re not in court, it’s fine if you just call me Yo.”

“But we’re in the presence of a neutral third party, it’s important we keep up appearances lest we offend Lady Yohane—” Riko protests, before Yo silences her by turning to Yohane.

“It’s fine if we keep things casual, right?”

Yohane nods. “There are no ranks within a witch’s coven - only family. Those who I accept are esteemed guests of our family, and are regarded with equal respect.”

Riko sighs, eying Yo sullenly. “Very well. I’ll put protocol aside for now…”

“You’ve been hanging around Kurosawa for too much. You never used to be this much of a stickler for rules.”

Yo grins, and turns back to Yohane. “Please, lead the way. Is Chika doing alright?”

“Her body has healed, and it appears her emotional state has made a full recovery as well.”

Yohane smiles, reaching up and ticking Azazel’s chin as she turns and heads back into the darkness of the cavern. “She has taken quite a liking to my familiar.”

“That sounds like Chika.” Yo chuckles following after Yohane. Riko lingers for a moment, eying the darkness apprehensively, before deciding that following Yo and the strange witch is better than being alone in a cursed woods.

“She has missed you greatly, and was worried for your safety in the beginning. I explained everything to her, of course, and she’s been happily resting for the past few days.”

“Being lazy, then. Sounds like a dream come true for Chika. She must be having the time of her life,” Yo muses, stopping as Yohane does. Riko squeaks when she bumps into Yo, unable to stop in time in the darkness.

The hidden door to Yohane’s lair creaks open again, and once more, the warm light floods Yo’s vision, though she’s ready for it this time. She’s about to speak up, when she’s suddenly pushed aside by a blur of wine red, and a high-pitched squealing fills the small cave room.

“Chika!” Riko throws herself against the woman, peppering Chika with kisses and strangling her with a bone-crushing hug. “You idiot! Don’t ever put yourself in danger like that again! Do you have _any_ idea how scared I was when Yo came back without you?!”

Chika is taken aback for a moment, before she bursts into laughter and hugs back, stroking Riko soothingly. “I’m sorry I scared you. I promise I’ll be more careful - but if I didn’t put myself in the way, Yo might not have been able to get back at all.”

“Gh… I hate it when you have a point, you idiot…”

Yo laughs, and she and Yohane make for the opposite corner of the room, leaving the lovebirds to kiss and make up. Sitting down, Yo sighs, trying her best to ease the weight the armor puts on her body. Noticing this, Yohane offers her a potion, claiming it soothes muscle aches and helps with stamina.

“Thank you,” Yo accepts the potion gratefully, draining the vial quickly. Immediately she feels a new vigour surge through her body, and her armor suddenly feels just a little lighter. Pausing for a moment, she glances over at Riko and Chika before turning back to Yohane with a solemn expression on her face.

“What is it?” Yohane asks, noticing the abrupt change in attitude.

“I need your help.” Yo says, slowly.

“I’ll try my best.” Yohane promises.

Yo breathes out slowly, tapping her sword hilt nervously. “What can you tell me about chimeras? Beyond the common myths and legends, I mean.”

“Chimeras, you ask?” Yohane raises an eyebrow. “One of the few truly magical creatures. It has the resilience of a goat, the ferocity of a lion, and the cunning of a serpent - and a body composed of all three. It can breathe fire from its goat head, and spit venom from its serpent tail. A dangerous opponent, even for someone wielding magic of their own…”

She looks up suddenly, startled. “You’re not about to go hunting one of _those_ , are you?”

Yo nods, her expression grim. “I have orders to hunt a chimera terrorizing the north-eastern villages.”

“On your own, though?”

“…I have my orders.”

Yohane’s expression darkens. “You realize this is nothing less than an attempt at your life, right? Why are you still going along with these suicidal orders?”

Yo looks at Yohane. “I must, for my house, and my honour.”

“To Hell with your honour! You’re going to die!”

“But my house still needs me.” Yo says, a hint of resignation entering her voice. “If I don’t, I put my house at risk. My crimes of insubordination will drag them down with me.”

“They’re holding your family _hostage?_ ” Yohane’s voice is an appalled whisper.

Yo shrugs, smiling helplessly. “Such is court politics.”

“ _No._ You can’t just take that lying down, there has to be _something_ you can do…”

“There’s nothing, Yohane. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ve already tried everything I can.” Yo shakes her head slowly. “At least now I’m saving people. As is my duty.”

She stares firmly at Yohane. “And of I’m not out there… no one will be. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, of no importance to the kingdom’s function. They’re not going to expend that many soldiers just to secure a frontier town. I’m the village’s only hope.”

Yohane sighs, looking at Yo with a mixture of concern and sympathy.

“…Wait here.”

She pushes past the doors leading deeper into the caverns, heading into the storage rooms which hold the bulk of the magical artifacts in her possession. After a few minutes of rooting around, she returns with an armful of trinkets, which she proceeds to hand over to Yo, explaining each one’s function as she passes it over.

“This will protect you from fire. This from the venom, though not too much of it.” She explains, with a clipped tone. “This will allow you to go longer without tiring, but if you take it off the tiredness will return two-fold, so plan accordingly. Use this girdle on your horse - it’ll strengthen its resolve and prevent it from running in terror from the chimera.”

Yo nods as she gathers up the items in her arms, replying quietly. “Thank you, Yohane.”

“Don’t thank me, I’m only loaning them to you.” Yohane says, sharply. “I’ll only accept thanks when you come back to return them.”

Yo shifts, startled, before smiling and nodding. “I see. I’d better try my best to come back, then, huh?”

“You’d better.” Yohane confirms, before scowling and turning to bark at Chika and Riko. “You two! Are you quite done yet, or would you like to start making children in our presence?”

Chika and Riko freeze, on the brink of starting to strip each other down. Chika has a hand up Riko’s tunic, and Riko’s fingers are tangled up in Chika’s hair. Blushing, they reluctantly break apart, shuffling their feet as they draw apart. Riko coughs, brushing herself down and tidying up her hair. Chika just grins shamelessly.

“We’re done,” Chika says quickly. “Right, Riko?”

Riko clears her throat, regaining her composure. “Erm, yes. Right.”

“Good. Then you can get that good-for-nothing layabout out of my lair.” Yohane waves dismissively at Chika, who pouts, upset. “She was fun for a while, but I tire of her company.”

Yo chuckles. “You’re probably eager to get back to the estate anyway, right, Chika?”

Chika continues to pout, but reluctantly nods. She’s been away from home for too long, especially considering the gravity of her condition just a few days prior. Seeing Riko is a relief, but there’s just nothing quite like home.

“And you—” Yohane turns to Yo. Her gaze softens when she locks eyes with the knight. “You have a mission to complete.”

Yo nods solemnly.

“I’ll accompany you out, then.”

Yohane heads out of the room again, Yo and her entourage in tow. Yo starts to recognize the path they take through the darkness now, and thinks next time, she might be able to get to the door on her own.

 _If there’s a next time_.

Chika and Riko saddles up in one horse. “We’re gonna go back to the estate, then.”

Yo nods, smiling at them. “Stay safe, okay? You’re not fully healed yet, Chika, so if it comes down to it you won’t be able protect both yourself and Riko.”

“We will!”

Chika and Riko gives Yo a final wave before setting off, quickly vanishing into the dense forest.

Yo sighs, looking away from them and turning towards Yohane. There’s a hint of resignation in her expression that wasn’t there a moment ago, and she gives Yohane a wry smile.

“Well then. I guess I’ll be off.”

She moves to saddle up, but Yohane surprises her by suddenly grabbing Yo’s hand. Yo feels her face grow warm, but she looks back at Yohane, questioningly.

Yohane breathes in shakily, and when she looks at Yo there’s a desperation in her eyes that takes Yo by surprise.

“Don’t die.”

Yo swallows. Then she smiles, and there’s a quiet confidence in her voice as she says, “I won’t.”

And for a moment, Yohane almost believes her.

*****

_Mrrrow._

Yohane blinks, looking up. Azazel is pawing at her bun impatiently, perched on her head. She’s hunched over her worktable, a half-finished packet of herbs sitting in front of her. The oil lamp sitting on the desk has long since burnt out, leaving only the smouldering embers of the central hearth projecting a dim glow into the room.

“Ah… sorry, Azazel. I must’ve gotten distracted again.”

 _Mrow?_ Azazel tilts its head curiously, and Yohane sighs, reaching over and rubbing it behind its ears.

“No, it’s not about the herbs. It’s…”

 _Meow._ Azazel mewls plainly. Yohane smiles wryly. “Am I that easy to read?”

_Rrrr…_

“Mm. I suppose so. It’s only been a month - she might just be busy with something else…”

Azazel purrs, rubbing up against Yohane’s palm. Yohane sighs, looking down.

“I guess it’s just a little lonely around here, after so much activity.”

_Mew…_

“It’s not like that!” Yohane blushes, cuffing Azazel around the ears. “She’s just… one of the few mortals I can actually tolerate.”

Apparently done with the conversation, Azazel mewls dismissively and retreats from the desk, padding over to the dying hearth and lying down next to it. Yohane glares at the cat for its rude parting remark, before sighing and returning to her work, refilling the lamp. Soon enough, the desk is well lit again, and she continues to labor over the packet of herbs.

It’s been a month since Yo left to hunt the chimera. Yohane has heard no word from her since - not that she expects to receive any word. She does live in the middle of nowhere, in the midst of a cursed wood, after all. But Yohane’s not been able to get Yo out of her mind since then. The way she’s ready to throw her life away for her knightly duties, the look of resignation and grim determination… Yohane is terrified that she’ll do something that no magic can fix.

Yo’s an idiot. She’s an idiot who can’t put herself before others, who’ll run herself ragged before she’ll allow someone else to be harmed in her stead. In the short time that Yohane’s known her, she’s realized this about Yo’s personality.

_Mroww._

Yohane glances back at Azazel.

“…You’re right. Yo’s tough. She’s stronger than any mortal I’ve seen.” She breathes in, reassuring herself. “She’ll be fine.”

Azazel purrs, and closes its eyes contently.

*****

Another week passes. Yohane continues to try (and fail) to not fret.

Another few days, and finally there’s a change. Yohane is in the middle of meditation when her eyes flash open.

“There’s someone coming.”

She glances at Azazel, who nods in agreement. After stretching lazily, the cat hops up onto Yohane’s shoulders, mewling softly.

“…Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to be a huge problem, but just to be safe…”

She picks up a vial filled with a blood red liquid, hiding it under her cloak. Nodding to herself, she then heads for the surface. Squinting in the sunlight, she’s cautious at first, but the wariness quickly evaporates when she recognizes the silhouette in the distance.

“Yo!” She shouts out, before she can stop herself. Her cheeks flush from her outburst, but she still waves at Yo as she approaches on her charger, unable to contain her excitement.

Yo doesn’t wave back, but as the horse gets closer Yohane can see that Yo is smiling. She’s wearing a traveler’s cloak this time, and judging from the look of the cloak, she’s not wearing armor underneath. The warhorse stops at a distance, and Yo dismounts carefully, patting the warhorse before turning to grin at Yohane.

“I’m back,” She says, the words making Yohane’s heart soar with relief.

“It’s been a month.” Yohane says. “I got worried.”

“Sorry,” Yo chuckles ruefully, stepping up to Yohane. She reaches out with her left hand, and pats Yohane on the head.

There’s a moment of silence, then Yohane’s cheeks explode with red. “Whuh— don’t patronize me! I am a great black witch!”

Yo laughs, bobbing her head agreeably. “Yes, yes. Sorry for that. Your magic really did help with the chimera. I’d be burnt to a crisp without the bracelet.”

She reaches back into her cloak again, and withdraws a few bracelets and charms in hand, holding it out to Yohane. “There. I’m returning it. Will you accept my thanks now?”

Yohane opens her mouth to speak, but she stops when she notices one of the artifacts missing. “…Where’s the stamina bracelet?”

Yo looks down, embarrassed. “Ah… I lost that.”

She shifts slightly, moving her cloak slightly. What Yohane sees makes her blood freeze.

Yo’s right arm is gone from the elbow down.

“The charm got eaten by the chimera…”

“Forget the charm!” Yohane shouts, grabbing Yo by the shoulders. “Your arm!”

“There’s… that too.”

Yo smiles lightly, but Yohane can see the bitter frustration hidden behind the smile. “I got careless…”

Bullshit she got careless. Up against a chimera, it’s a miracle Yo came back at all. It was a trap, all along.

Yohane’s shaking with anger as she asks, quietly. “Isn’t that your sword arm?”

Yo sighs, her smile slowly fading away. She suddenly looks incredibly tired, and old beyond her age. “Let it go, Yohane.”

“Those court bastards robbed you of your arm, Yo!” Yohane protests, her grip on Yo tightening. “How can you just let it go?!”

“I _said_ —” Yo suddenly shouts, shaking Yohane off. “Let it go. There’s no point in fighting this.”

“But…!”

“I survived, thanks to you. That’s what I’m here for.” Yo bites her lip. “I survived to fight another day. That’s what’s important.”

“…But you can’t fight anymore…” Yohane murmurs.

Yo winces, but still musters up a forced smile. “I still have one arm, don’t I? I’ll make do.”

“But you…” Yohane starts to speak, but is cut off when Yo suddenly closes the distance between them and sweeps her up into a hug. Yohane is suddenly painfully aware of how Yo’s body is shaking from the myriad emotions swirling inside her.

“This isn’t a battle worth fighting…” Yo mutters, hugging Yohane close to her. “So please… just… drop it.”

Yohane grits her teeth, frustration and indignation welling up inside her like boiling water. But a few long seconds later, she deflates, burying her face into Yo’s shoulder.

“Fine.” She mumbles. “If that’s what you think is right, then fine.”

Yo breathes out a sigh of relief, patting Yohane on the back. “Thanks for understanding. I am a knight of the kingdom… I of all people can’t protest against the court’s decisions…”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though,” Yohane mutters, pulling away from Yo.

“I don’t like it either, Yohane.” Yo says, tiredly.

“I hate politics.”

“Me too.”

In spite of herself, Yo laughs quietly, scratching the back of her head. “I didn’t mean for it to get so heavy.”

“I’m sure you didn’t.”

Yo’s like that, Yohane thinks. Always thinking so positively. Yohane supposes it’s why she’s a knight - she has the personality to inspire and reassure.

She breathes out, allowing the righteous indignation to bleed out of her body.

“Is this the only reason why you came?” Yohane lifts the handful of magical charms.

“Actually, no.”

Yo grins. “I’m here to invite you to a banquet.”

“…What.”

“Will you go to the ball with me?”

_“What.”_

“There’s a big party held in my honour. ‘My honour’,” Yo says sarcastically. “I’m supposed to bring a plus one.”

“And you want to take… me? A _witch_?” Yohane points out.

“As long as you don’t use any magic.” Yo pouts. “You don’t want to come with me? I don’t want to have to face all those smelly old nobles alone…”

Yohane bites her lip, torn. On one hand, it’s a terrible idea, and Yohane has never left the range of her coven’s territory in her life. On the other hand, it’s Yo.

“There’s going to be free food, and good service. And I’ll show you around my family estate!” Yo holds out her hand. “Please? I want to pay you back for the magical charms. I owe you so much.”

Yohane sighs. She can’t say no to those eyes.

“Fine.” She begrudgingly takes Yo’s hand, bowing her knee and planting a dainty kiss on the back of her hand. “I’ll be in your care, then, m’lady.”

*****

The trip to Yo’s estate takes about a day on horse back. Yohane tries not to focus on how she has to hold on to Yo, her arm around her waist for most of the journey. They stop in the middle for a quick break at a rural village, then set off again. By the time they approach the edge of Yo’s territory, the sun has already set, and Yohane summons up a burning skull to light the way.

When they start to see buildings in the distance, though, Yo turns around and asks Yohane to put out the skull lantern.

“Huh? Why?”

“Because most of these people have never seen magic in their life, and they might get worried at the sight of yours.”

“Hm.” Yohane considers that for a moment, before snuffing out the lantern with a snap of her fingers and stuffing the skull back into her bulging travel-bag. “I suppose.”

“I also don’t want them panicking and lynching you.”

“They can try.”

Yo nudges Yohane with her elbow. “Don’t curse my subjects.”

“Meh.” Yohane smirks. “No guarantees.”

Yo laughs, urging their horse onwards. As they finally approach the town, Yo speaks up. “We might have to spend the night in this township. My family estate proper is still a few hour’s ride out.”

Yohane looks around at the town buildings and streets, somewhat uneasily. It’s been a while since she’s spent a night out with many people. Even if this town on the edge of Yo’s territory doesn’t have the largest population, it’s still more people than she’s used to.

“Where are we staying?”

“There’s an inn that I know. The innkeepers used to work at my estate.”

“You trust them?”

“I’d trust them with my life.” Yo grins meaningfully. “You’ll see why.”

Yohane nods, falling silent. They continue to travel through town, with people peering at the two nighttime travellers from out of their windows and from their porches. Some seem to recognize Yo, and bow their heads respectfully when they pass. Yo gets flustered when that happens, but keeps steering the horse down the streets, towards the center of town.

Eventually Yo stops, and dismounts, offering a hand to help Yohane dismount as well. She gestures grandiosely at the building behind her, which is anything but grandiose - a simple, but sizeable, wood-and-stone building, with a large wooden sign hanging from a signpost: Tochiman Inn.

“Come on.” She pushes past the doors, and suddenly Yohane is assaulted by a wave of noise and chatter and warm lights and sweet smells. She swallows nervously, before following Yo into the inn.

It’s incredibly busy in the inn, with all sorts of people drinking and eating and chattering away happily. Round tables are set up around the ground floor, with a bar-slash-kitchen against one wall, and near the back, a stairwell leading to the second floor.

The door shuts behind Yo with a quiet thunk, which attracts the attention of the people nearby. They fall silent, staring at Yo and Yohane. That starts a chain reaction, and soon enough the whole room is quiet and staring at the two of them.

Yohane gulps, and hides behind Yo.

“Lady Watanabe…” An old man speaks up, coming up and tentatively shaking Yo’s hand. “I _must_ thank you for supplying the medication for the plague last year. My grandchildren were seriously ill, but thanks to you, they’ve made a full recovery…!”

“Wow, well, I’m happy to hear that…” Yo begins, before she’s quickly interrupted by a middle-aged woman.

“Lady Watanabe, I’m forever grateful for your reducing the grain levies - the farm isn’t doing so well, you see, so the reduced levies is really helping us keep afloat!”

“Oh, that sounds great…”

“Lady Watanabe! I heard of your exploits in the country, when I finish training I want to be a knight just like you!”

“Lady Watanabe, about the land development reforms…”

“Lady Watanabe, my gratitude for your work with the church fund…”

“Ah, um, that’s wonderful, yes, erm…”

Yo has her hand out defensively in front of her, trying to politely fend off the crowd of people pressing in on her.

“Hey! Leave Lady Watanabe alone, or you’re gonna get the boot!”

There’s suddenly a commotion around the back of the crowd, and almost like magic, the crowd parts meekly, revealing a moderately tall woman with light brown hair and fiery red eyes, her arms crossed firmly across her chest. She reminds Yohane of Chika, except more mature, and more assertive.

She bows politely at Yo, before giving her a wide, friendly smile. “Welcome back to our inn, Lady Watanabe. I’m sorry that these ruffians don’t know any etiquette, it’s just their way of expressing thanks…”

“Yes, well, I gathered that much…” Yo mumbles, before raising her voice. “I’m very happy that my subjects find my policies agreeable, it’s my job to make the territory a better place, after all.”

There’s a murmur of approval that runs through the crowd, even as they start to disperse back to where they were sitting before.

Yo comes up to the woman, and shakes her hand. “How are you doing, Mito? It’s been a while since I last visited.”

Mito smiles warmly. “I’m sure Chika’s been talking, but you might’ve heard that we might be getting an expansion to the building - thanks to your land improvement policies, of course, Lady Watanabe.”

“Mito… please, just Yo is fine…” Yo mumbles, embarrassed. “You’re practically family.”

“We owe you way too much for that, Lady Watanabe.” Mito smiles. “So, what can we do for you? A drink? Some food?”

“A room would be nice.” Yo says.

Mito bites her bottom lip, and slowly says, “We don’t have a two-person room open… we just have a single bed room.” She hesitates for a moment before suggesting, “We could ask one of the current tenants to move…”

“No, that won’t be necessary, we’ll take the single bed,” Yo says quickly, before realizing what she’s saying and turning to Yohane sharply. “Um! If you don’t mind, that is…!”

Yohane’s face is bright red, but she mechanically shakes her head. Obviously Yo doesn’t want to bother anyone, so Yohane should totally go along with this, right? For no ulterior motive whatsoever.

“A single bed is fine!” She says, a few octaves higher than normal.

Mito looks between Yohane and Yo for a moment, before a look of comprehension dawns on her face, and she grins, nodding quickly. “Very well, I’ll tell Shima to get the room ready.”

She pauses and on a more serious note, adds quietly, “…I heard about… the arm…”

Yo glances down. She has her missing arm covered under her cloak, so it doesn’t arouse attention.

“I want you to know that you have all of our gratitude. Chika, Shima, myself - everyone here - we all owe our current prosperity to you and your family.”

She bows politely, before stepping back and disappearing behind a curtain into a back room.

“Shima?” Yohane asks, when Mito is out of sight.

“The other Takami sister. There’s three of them - Chika’s the youngest.”

Yohane nods slightly. “I see.”

Then she frowns. “But isn’t Chika your squire? Isn’t the Takami family nobility as well?”

Yo smiles, shaking her head.

“Chika is common born. I met Shima, Mito and Chika when I was very young. There was a bandit raid, which orphaned the three of them, and I begged my father to take them in. They were allowed to live in out estate, on the condition that they work as housekeepers.”

“That doesn’t explain why Chika’s your squire.”

“I’m getting there,” Yo says, smiling from the nostalgia. “I sometimes invite Chika to watch sword practice. Turns out she has a talent for it. I used my authority to make her my squire. Through her, I can give the Takami sisters benefits as well. Like their own plot of land, which they’ve used to build this inn.”

Yohane watches Yo, and sighs. “You’re really kindhearted, aren’t you?”

Yo blushes. “Wha- What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“Nothing.” Yohane looks away, smirking to herself.

*****

Soon enough Mito returns with a room key, and Yo and Yohane head upstairs. Yohane wonders about the horse, but Yo reassures her that Mito will lead it into a stable around the back.

The room is, as expected, fairly small and cramped. There’s a desk, a bed with just enough space for two, and a nightstand with a dinky oil lamp sitting on top. That’s pretty much it for furnishings. Yohane looks around, noting the plain wood walls that look not soundproof at all, and the rickety floorboards.

“Comfy,” She comments, bringing out the skull and re-lighting it. It’s brighter than the oil lamp could ever be, anyway.

“They try their best. Running an inn is surprisingly hard, especially with only the two of them.”

“I suppose.”

“But I think they’re really happy now. They used to never smile when they worked in the estate. I guess they just like being around people, or something like that,” Yo says, as she rummages through her bag.

Yohane sits down on the bed, glancing over at Yo. “What are you looking for?”

“My bedroll. You can take the bed, I’m used to sleeping on the floor.”

Yohane frowns. “No, it’s alright. I can sleep on the floor just fine, you take the bed.”

“But it’ll be uncomfortable.”

“You’ll be uncomfortable if you sleep on the ground, too.” Yohane hesitates before adding, more quietly, “…and there’s your arm…”

Yo bites her lip, thinking for a long while. Eventually she suggests haltingly, “How about we… share… the bed?”

Yohane’s face is red, but she keeps an even tone of voice as she replies.

“…Sure… I’m fine with that.”

She shuffles over a bit, leaving some space for Yo.

Awkwardly, Yo sits down on the other side of the bed, unslinging her cloak and tossing it haphazardly over her bag.

“…We should sleep early.” Yo suggests, suddenly. “We’ll want to arrive at my estate early tomorrow so we have time to prepare.”

“Sure.” Yohane nods, taking off her cloak as well. She lies down on the bed, self-consciously keeping a distance from Yo’s side.

“Um… do you mind turning off the skull?”

“Oh! Right.” Yohane says sheepishly. She snaps her fingers, and the skull dims down to a bare glow, like a night-light. “Sorry.”

Yo laughs lightly, lying down on her side. “Goodnight, Yohane.”

“Goodnight, Yo.”

Yohane closes her eyes, clearing her head of thoughts. She lies there, still as a rock, waiting for sleep to claim her. But it never comes, no matter how hard she tries to capture that elusive feeling. She can hear Yo’s breathing, slow and even, behind her. Sense the slow drum of her heartbeat. Even feel the warmth radiating off of her. She can’t get Yo out of her mind. She’s just so distracting.

Yohane sighs grumpily, and rolls over to her other side. She jumps a little when she finds her gaze meeting Yo’s cerulean eyes, tired looking but still glittering with spirit.

Yo’s lips curl into a smirk. “Can’t sleep?”

“Just a little restless.”

“Hm.”

Yo nods slightly. “Nervous?”

“N-No.”

“Really?”

“…Okay, maybe a little.” Yohane admits. “I’ve… never been around so many people before. I’m well aware of the reputation of witches in the outside world. I guess… it’s a little nerve-wracking. Y’know, if I slip up and forget to hide my magic, that’ll be it for me.”

“Don’t sweat it.” Yo laughs quietly. “I’ll protect you.”

The light is dim, but she can still see Yo grinning toothily. Yohane blushes faintly, her eyes darting to one side. “I’ll hold you to that promise, then.”

They’re silent for a moment. Yo’s expression drifts off into a more neutral, pondering look. Yohane tries to think of something to say.

“…How about you?” She finally asks, after a long period of silence.

Yo shakes her head. “I’ve had trouble sleeping for a while, now.”

“How come?”

Yo hesitates, her mouth open but saying nothing.

Yohane thinks for a moment before asking, tentatively: “…Is it your arm?”

Yo closes her mouth, smiling wryly. “You see right through me, don’t you?”

“Just a lucky guess.” Yohane says quietly. She pauses, then carefully asks, “Does it hurt?”

Yo is silent for a long while, pondering the question. Eventually, instead of providing an answer, she speaks up quietly. “Would you like to touch it?”

“Um…” Yohane hesitates for a moment, before nodding slightly. “If you don’t mind…”

Yo breathes out, her expression unreadable. She rolls up her sleeve, baring her stump arm to Yohane. She does a little gesture with it, like a beckoning.

Yohane holds her breath as she reaches out, tracing the skin on the cross-section of Yo’s arm. She couldn’t see before, but now that she can actually feel it, she can tell that the wound must’ve been absolutely brutal, because even after it’s healed and smoothed over, the end of her arm is rough and uneven. She swallows as her finger runs over a hard bump - what must be the end of Yo’s humerus.

“Sometimes it feels like I still have it.” Yo murmurs, sadly. “Other times there’s a persistent ache that reminds me something is missing.”

“… _Why?_ ” Yohane breathes, pulling her hand away. “Why do you do this to yourself?”

“Because there’s no one else who will.” Yo says quietly. “We’ve talked about this, Yohane.”

Yohane bites her lip. She knows that Yo’s like this. She knows that there’s no way on earth Yo will abandon those who need her help, not when her hand is still able to reach them.

But she still has to try.

Otherwise Yo is going to die one day, and no amount of magic can reverse that.

“…You can be a little selfish sometimes, Yo. You’ve given up more than anyone else. The people love you. You’ve done your duty to the masses. You should treasure what you still have. Before you lose everything.”

“I can be a little selfish, huh…”

Yo closes her eyes, nodding to herself. She has a contemplative, almost peaceful expression on her face.

Then she smiles shyly. “Then… can I make a selfish request, Yohane?”

“If it’s in my power.” Yohane nods quickly.

“Tonight. Just for tonight…” Yo starts, before hesitating, her cheeks coloring slightly. “Can we cuddle?”

Yohane’s cheeks go bright red.

“Eh?”

“I- I said…”

Yo blushes fiercely, and she covers her face with her hands, rolling over on the bed. “Never mind! Ignore I said that! I’m just a stupid knight who doesn’t know when to give up, I’m sorry!”

She’s just about convinced that her life is over, and she might as well go back and offer up the rest of her limbs to the chimera, when she feels a pair of slender arms reach around and hug her from behind.

“No.” Yohane murmurs, her forehead resting against Yo’s neck. “I did say anything within my power. I was just a little surprised.”

Yo quiets down, content in being embraced from behind like that for a while. Minutes tick pass in silence, with Yohane listening to the rise and fall of Yo’s breathing. It’s peaceful, and despite Yohane’s hammering chest, strangely calming.

“…I’ve never had the chance to be like this.” Yo murmurs, quietly.

“Never?”

“Never.” Yo sighs wistfully. “My parents had to maintain their distance, and people only ever approached me with intentions about our family fortune. I’ve never had a significant other. I think this is the first time I’ve shared a bed with someone other than Chika, actually.”

“Wow.” Yohane blinks. “I’m honored.”

“Mm. This is nice, though.”

Yo chuckles. “I can almost ignore my arm like this.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

Yo smiles, closing her eyes and leaning against Yohane. “Thank you, Yohane.”

“For this?”

“For everything.”

Yohane thinks she detects a hint of melancholy in Yo’s voice, but as her breathing evens out, and the knight slowly drifts off to sleep, Yohane decides she can wait until tomorrow to ask what that was about.

*****

When Yohane wakes up the next morning, she finds herself in a tangle of limbs. Yo seems to have flipped over in the course of the night, and has wedged her arm beneath Yohane, trapping the witch in a loose hug. She’s not able to extricate herself from it without waking Yo, so she just sighs and settles back, trying to relax.

Yo’s face is very close, her eyes shut peacefully, her chest rising and falling to a steady beat. Her lips, which are soft and pink, are curved into a small smile. Her eyelids flutter sometimes, and Yohane wonders what she’s dreaming about.

“Dad…” Her lips part slightly as she breathes out. It’s only then that Yohane realizes something is missing from the picture compared to how Yo normally is.

When Yo is awake, it’s like there’s an underlying sadness to her, all the time. She tries her best to hide it, but to Yohane, whose senses extend beyond the material, it’s pretty obvious. It’s like she always has something on her mind, that she can never get rid of or forget.

Now, she looks at peace. Serene. She seems younger, too, the emotional wear and abuse of years of military service melting away in her dreams.

“Don’t go…”

Yohane blinks, looking a little closer. There’s a glistening at the corners of Yo’s eyes - is she crying?

She reaches out, gently brushing the teardrop away. Yo wrinkles her brow at the gesture, her body shifting as she stretches out slightly. She breathes out slowly, and her eyes slowly peek open.

“…Yohane?”

“Good morning.” Yohane says, quietly.

Neither of them move for a moment, their eyes meeting and holding.

“Were you dreaming? You were saying something.”

“It’s… nothing.” Yo looks away, smiling sadly to herself. “It’s just… remembering better times.”

Yohane’s mouth makes a little “O” shape, and she nods. She lies back down, thinking for a moment.

“Do you want to get up, now?” She suggests.

Yo glances at her pinned arm for a moment before shrugging and smiling. “I like it this way.”

Yohane blushes. How can Yo say that so casually?

“But—” Yo sits up, freeing her arm from underneath Yohane. “I suppose we should get going.”

“Right.”

After getting dressed, Yo and Yohane quickly scarf down a simple breakfast downstairs, and are soon on their way, riding out of town and back into the countryside. She urges the horse into a the horse into a gallop, and soon enough they’re thundering across the dusty main road that leads through Yo’s territory.

“What’s the rush?!” Yohane asks, the wind whipping her hair back and drowning out her voice.

“We’ll need most of the day to get ready,” Yo replies, turning back to Yohane and grinning ever so slightly. “Plus, I just like the feeling of the wind in my face!”

She laughs heartily, and Yohane thinks it’s these times that Yo’s most alive - not when she’s facing her subjects, or when she’s departing for a heroic quest, but when she’s unbound in the wild, riding atop her galloping charger and taking flight across the fields.

Yohane’s not so much into the rough ride, but she finds herself smiling at Yo’s enthusiasm nonetheless.

“How long until we get there?” Yohane shouts.

“Another half hour! At most!”

They stop by a stream mid-way, giving their horse a break and letting it drink its fill, then they’re on their way again, galloping across the plains. Eventually, in the distance, Yohane spots civilization: A large, white mansion — though it might be more accurate to call it a small castle.

“Is that it?” Yohane points out.

Yo grins, and nods, pulling on the reins and guiding the horse towards the mansion.

“That’s the family estate!”

Yo lets out a whoop, and Yohane has to hold on for dear life as she urges the horse on, speeding towards the mansion.

*****

“Woah…”

Yohane can’t help but breathe out a sigh of awe as Yo slows the horse down to a trot as they head down the path leading up to the mansion proper. The grounds of the mansion are bursting with life, with colorful flower beds and bushes and trees and fountains of all shapes and sizes dotting the massive garden.

The mansion itself is massive - two… no, three stories high, with countless gleaming windows on the front-facing wall. The walls are a polished white marble, the window frames glittering gold, and it stretches far to both sides. She gapes at the Corinthian columns set between windows as decoration, at the intricately carved ocean motifs in the marble walls, and then looks at Yo with an awestruck expression.

“You’re _loaded_!”

Yo blushes in embarrassment as they dismount, stepping up to the great wooden doors of the mansion. “My ancestors were the ones who built the mansion… we actually have a good deal less wealth than what the house would imply…”

She knocks on the door, twice, loudly and clearly.

There’s a long while where nothing happens. Yo moves to knock again, but before her knuckles hit the wood, the door slowly creaks open, and a maid pokes her head out. Realizing the person at the door, the maid pushes the door open, and bows quickly at Yo.

“Lady Watanabe — you’re back!”

“Hey… I’m here to get ready for the banquet.” Yo grins, but the smile quickly fades away when she notices the maid’s expression. She’s nervous, apprehensive. Scared, even. “…What’s wrong?”

“Ah, erm… you should speak to Miss Sakurauchi.” The maid says, bowing her head. “She has the full details on the letter.”

“Letter? What letter?”

“I’m just a maid, Lady Watanabe, I’m not privy to the details…” She says apologetically. “Please, speak to Miss Sakurauchi. She can explain the situation much better than I can, I’m sure.”

“…That doesn’t sound good.” Yo glances at Yohane for a moment, and shrugs, stepping inside.

The interior of the mansion, is as expected, ridiculously opulent, with crystal chandeliers, grand staircases, and antique armor sets as far as the eye can see. Fancy paintings plaster the walls, and gold leaf filigree stretch from ceiling to floor.

“It’s… a little extra, I know…” Yo says quietly, continuing to be embarrassed as Yohane gapes at her familial wealth.

“A _little_?”

“…Okay, we have a fair bit of non-liquid treasure still… but whatever liquid currency we could spare, we’ve already put back into the territory’s maintenance!” Yo quickly says.

Yohane sighs, patting Yo on the shoulder. “I’m not judging you, I know you’re frugal by noble standards. I’m just… caught off guard, is all. You don’t act much like a noble’s daughter.”

Yo looks down at her dirty traveling tunic, and blushes. “I- I clean up nicely, I’ll have you know.”

“I’m sure.” Yohane smirks wryly.

Going up a set of grand stairs from the foyer, Yo leads Yohane past a long hallway with gold-framed, important looking paintings. As they walk past, Yohane steals glances at the paintings, and in particular, at the plaques describing the individuals in the paintings.

“Watanabe… Watanabe…” Yohane looks over to Yo. “Are these your ancestors?”

“They are,” Yo says proudly. “The Watanabe’s are an ancient family of knights and nobles. We can trace our lineage back to the founding of the kingdom.”

“Huh…”

Yohane looks over all the severe and stern looking men and women in military attire, sword at their hips and hands resting on the hilts. They all have the greyish brown hair that Yo has, and the same refined but fierce features.

Notably, though, none of them has blue eyes.

She stops at the end of the long row of paintings. The last painting is of a child, with blue eyes, and a bright smile. She has a too-large helmet over her head, and a sword at her side that’s too large for her to use. Beside that painting, a large, kindly looking man, wearing a breastplate over his formal uniform, and a short cropped haircut. There’s a striking resemblance between him and the girl.

“Is that…” Yohane gestures at the paintings.

“Yup!” Yo nods. “There’s me, ten years old. And… there’s my dad.”

Yohane looks over the painting. “He looks… nice.”

“He was a good man. A great knight, a good leader. …A kind, and loving father”

Ah. Was. Yohane bites her lip.

“He was set free in the siege of Eiderhall, where he sacrificed himself to kill the flag bearer of the Gnoll horde, personally putting an end to the war.” Yo breathes out slowly.

“He made me into the person I am now. Gave me the values I stand by. Taught me the sword skills that have helped me survive this far. Entrusted me with the illustrious Watanabe legacy to uphold.”

Yohane glances at Yo. “I’m sure he’d be proud of you.”

“Shucks…” Yo scratches the back of her head. “I’ve still got a long way to go…”

“You killed a chimera on your own, and you still have a long way to go?”

Yohane asks, dubiously. Yo laughs awkwardly, shrugging the question off.

Yohane shakes her head incredulously, and changes the subject. “So… your father doesn’t have blue eyes.”

Indeed - the Watanabe family has a tradition of stormy colored eyes, tending more towards grey or black than blue. Yo seems to be the exception, not the rule.

“Right. He doesn’t.”

Yo’s suddenly quiet, and gives Yohane a forced smile. “Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep Riko waiting.”

Surprised by her change in attitude, Yohane just nods and allows Yo to continue leading her onward. Passing by a few more opulent hallways, the two of them finally come across a set of unusually simple doors, compared to the rest of the mansion.

Yo knocks on the door. “We’re coming in, Riko.”

Pushing the door open, Yo peers inside, making sure she’s not interrupting. Yohane peeks in from behind her.

The room looks, for all intents and purposes, like a generic office, with a large work table, a chair, and many bookshelves holding tomes and scrolls undoubtedly containing important logistical information about running the territory. Sitting at the table is a haggard and tired looking Riko, looking up from a stack of parchment crammed full of legal writing.

“Yo…” She breathes out tiredly. “You’re back.”

“Oh god, you look like you haven’t slept in _days_. Is the situation that bad? I heard about some kind of letter from the maids…”

Yo walks up behind Riko, peering over her shoulder at the documents.

“A royal commandment?” She frowns, reading on. “Let’s see… ‘The Court recognizes your aptitude in the slaying of magical beasts and thus issue the greatest quest of all’…”

Her eyes widen. “To slay a _dragon?!_ ”

Yohane’s heart stops for a moment, and she rushes up too, scanning the document quickly.

“This… this is ridiculous! It’s impossible! A chimera is one thing, but dragons are… they’re… they’re _dragons!_ They’re _the_ apex predators! And they expect you to kill one on your own?”

Yohane scrutinizes the document. “Are you sure this is official?”

“That’s the court’s seal.” Riko says tiredly, pointing at a broken wax seal. “It’s legitimate.”

“But then…” Yohane swallows. “Then…”

Riko nods grimly. “Lady Watanabe is bound by oath to perform this impossible task.”

The two of them turn to look at Yo. She’s staring at the document, her hands gripping the edge of the table so hard that her knuckles have turned white. She notices the other two looking at her, and smiles shakily at them.

“W-What’s with the long faces? It’s just a dragon, right?”

Yo laughs airily, but Yohane can tell that she’s forcing herself to put up a front. “I guess that means the banquet is cancelled, huh?”

“…Unfortunately, yes.” Riko bows her head. “The Royal Court expects the expedition to start post haste.”

“Of course they do.” Yo smiles weakly, looking over the letter again. “So where am I expected to go?”

“The Eoland mountain range in the eastern territories. A week or so ride from here. According to the letter, a gold dragon is terrorizing the villages in the area, demanding tribute and eating livestock.” Riko looks up at Yo. “…Are you really planning to go fight the dragon, Yo?”

“I have to, Riko. You know I do.”

“You don’t.”

“I do.”

Yo and Riko glare at each other for a moment, locked in an invisible match of determination. In the end Riko folds, and looks away.

“Very well. I’ll arrange for supplies,” Riko says with a clipped tone. She stands up, and breezes past Yo, striding out of the room.

Yo stares at her leave for a moment before sighing. “Ah… she’s mad.”

“Of course she’s mad.” Yohane says quietly. “You’re marching to your own death, _again._ ”

She pauses.

“Did you even tell Riko that you were going to hunt a chimera before you left?”

Yo bites her lower lip, before lowering her head. “…No. I didn’t want them to worry.”

“How did she react when you returned missing an arm?”

“…She was furious.” Yo admits. “Chika didn’t talk to me for a week, either.”

“And you’re surprised that she’s angry when you head into an _even more_ suicidal situation?”

“Well, I…” Yo hesitates. “It’s not like I have a choice in the matter. I have my orders, and if I don’t act, the villagers—”

“Will be in danger, yes, I know.” Yohane sighs. “But look me in the eyes, and honestly tell me that you being there will make _any_ difference at all in their situation. One more knight, even an exemplary one, isn’t going to do anything against a dragon.”

Yo balls her her hand up into a fist.

“…What am I supposed to do, then?”

She feels a sudden surge of anger - not at anyone but at _herself_ , for being so weak and helpless that she allowed for this farce to happen. She grits her teeth, and turns to Yohane. “What should I do that _won’t_ bring the court’s whole military might down on my friends and family? If you’re so wise, black witch of the grove, maybe you can come up with something that I haven’t, because I’ve had to deal with this for _years,_ and I’m fresh out of ideas.”

She takes a shuddering breath, trying to keep her emotions under control. Slowly, the anger bleeds out of her frame, and she just slumps forward tiredly. There’s an exhausted expression on her face, and she suddenly seems so frail to Yohane, so delicate and fragile. Not a knight, or a hero. Just a girl, who’s been carrying an impossible burden for far too long.

“I don’t want to go. _I don’t want to die._ But if my family is to remain safe, I _have_ to go.” Yo gives Yohane a drained look, and smiles weakly. “I’m tired, Yohane. I’m going to rest in my room. If you need anything, just tell the maids you’re my guest.”

With a slouch unfitting of a noble knight, Yo drags her feet as she leaves the office, leaving Yohane to stare at her with pursed lips and a frown.

*****

Yo closes her bedroom door behind her, making sure it’s locked before throwing herself against her soft, plush bed and screaming into a pillow. She screams, and screams, and screams, pouring all of her rage and frustration into the noise until her voice goes hoarse and all she’s able to muster up is a strangled groan. When she’s not able to scream anymore, she simply buries her face against the pillow and pounds on the mattress with her fist.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Way to alienate her newfound companion.

Yo is under no illusions that she’s a normal girl, or anything, but the least she can do is not fall apart emotionally around her friends. She’s been able to keep up a strong front for Chika and Riko, who look to her as a leader as well as a friend, and the staff respect her family lineage too much to question her.

But Yohane… Yohane has a way of getting to her. Getting beneath that mask. Yohane has a knife-like perceptiveness to her that Yo just can’t hide from, despite the witch acting aloof at times.

She may have been the only one Yo could rely on for support, and now Yo’s even run away from _her_.

“You coward, Yo…”

She grits her teeth, balling up her hand into a fist. “In the end you couldn’t do anything else but bend to those bastards’ orders… So much for being a good leader…”

She breathes out, not even aware that the door is opening quietly behind her.

“…I think you’re a good leader.”

Yo’s breathing catches, and she jumps up, alert. Her hand shoots instinctively to her waist, before she realizes that she doesn’t have her sword with her — and that it’s just Yohane, leaning against the door frame.

She relaxes, breathing out explosively. “Gods, Yohane. You surprised me. How did you get past the lock?”

“Magic,” Yohane says, smirking.

Yo rolls her eyes. “Of course.”

She sits down heavily, slicking back her hair. “…Did you come here just to scare me witless, or did you want to talk about something else?”

Yohane waves her hand, and the door shuts itself quietly, the lock clicking into place on its own. Yo nods appreciatively - she’d rather not have anyone overhearing them.

“I’ve thought of a way for you to get out of this.” Yohane says, quietly.

Yo blinks, looking at Yohane sharply. “You… you do?”

“Well — I don’t know if you’ve thought of it before, but it’s what came to mind for me.”

Yohane walks over to the bed, sitting down next to Yo. She’s caught off guard by how soft the bed is for a moment, before regaining her composure.

“Can’t you just… run away? If you’re supposed to die anyway, you could just as easily run off somewhere. As long as you don’t catch the attention of the court, you could live a peaceful life out of sight.”

“Oh.” Yo looks down, mildly disappointed. “I’ve… thought of it. But then who would run the territory? And the people who actually need saving? Me running away doesn’t solve anything. It’s just selfish. Besides, where would I go? I have no relatives, no one I can trust not to sell me out to the court.”

“You could live with me,” Yohane suggests, idly. “We could be a family. Rebuild the coven. It’s not the first time our clan has accepted runaways into our fold. I like you, so I wouldn’t mind.”

“Ha. It’s almost like a fairy tale.” Yo says, smiling sadly. “Sweep me off my feet and we can live together, happily ever after. Aren’t I supposed to be the knight in shining armor?”

“I’m not joking, you know.”

Yo glances at Yohane, her brow furrowed. Yohane looks back at Yo with a calm, but serious, expression.

“I could easily hide you with my magic. You can even stay in touch with Chika and Riko. You can indirectly govern through them. The people would think you dead, but you can assume all the same responsibilities as you do now. You’d just be free. Free do to whatever you wish it.”

Yo stares at Yohane for a moment. “You… you can do that?”

Yohane nods. “You’d be _more_ able to reach out to those in need, too. Without the shackles of nobility, you could be the hero you’ve always wanted to be. Think about it.”

Yo swallows. There’s suddenly a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Of course - Yohane introduces a whole new dimension to the situation. She now has _magic_ on her side. She could do it. She really could.

Yo’s mouth feels dry.

Yohane leans closer to Yo, so the knight can practically smell Yohane’s fragrance. She smells like books, and herbs, and fresh morning dew, and the crisp winter breeze. It’s a strange combination of smells, but Yo doesn’t mind it.

Yo knows what she can do. What she _wants_ to do.

“Come with me,” Yohane says, with a mischievous grin on her face. Her breath tickles Yo’s lips. She’s so close, and Yo finds herself entranced by her gaze, incapable of looking away. “Forget the dragon. Let’s run away. Start a new life in secret, away from prying eyes. You could be _free._ ”

For years Yo’s wanted to do this. Just let go and leave, put down the burden she’s shouldered for so painfully long.

She almost leans in, almost closes the distance between them.

But then she stops, and shakes her head.

Yohane, seeing that, leans back, giving Yo a questioning look.

“I… can’t.”

Yohane furrows her brow. _“Why?_ Why can’t you? You realize that this is your only way out, right?”

“I just…”

Yo takes a deep breath. “I made a promise.”

“Is this your knightly oath again?” Yohane grumbles, crossing her arms.

“It’s not just a knightly oath…”

Yo has that tone of voice again, the same one she had when she was talking about her father. Yohane tenses up, sensing a change in the atmosphere of the conversation.

“I mentioned that I made the oath to the former queen, right?”

Yohane nods. She remembers Yo telling her that when they first met.

Yo takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “The former queen of Ura is… was… my mother.”

Yohane’s eyes widen. Suddenly, everything makes sense. She’s heard that the former queen has eyes as blue as the sea, and she never married.

“She died when I was young - it was an assassination, according to my father, but the Court passed it off as a natural sickness. Before she died, she made me promise that I would grow up to be someone who could protect Ura and her people, in a way that she never could.” Yo says quietly.

“I… I can’t remember much about her anymore. I can’t even remember the sound of her voice. But I do remember sitting by her bed, and swearing on my knight’s honour that I would do everything I could to protect the people. And I remember that she looked so happy when I said that.”

“So, knowing that my hands - my hand - can still reach someone, and not reaching for them…” Yo shakes her head. “I can’t do that. I let my own mother die in front of me. I’m not letting anyone else suffer because I wanted to run away.”

“Yo…”

Yohane murmurs her name quietly, and finally, nods. “I… I understand.”

Yo smiles faintly. “Sorry. I really do appreciate the offer, but… I can’t stop. Not yet.”

“Ah~ I guess a happily ever after with Yo will have to wait, then.” Yohane pouts.

Yo blushes, but she nods. “I’m going to try and fight the dragon. Who knows? Maybe I’ll manage to put a dent in it and convince it to leave.”

Yohane is doubtful of it, but she doesn’t say anything.

“I’m… sorry for getting you all the way out here, only for the banquet to be cancelled.” Yo says ruefully, scratching the back of her head. “I’ll get Riko to prepare a horse for you to head home. Do you need an escort?”

Yohane frowns. “What are you saying? I’m not heading home.”

“Huh?”

Yo looks questioning at Yohane, who smirks.

“If you’re going to go fight a dragon, I’m going with you.” Yohane says.

“After all, you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

*****

Yohane didn’t expect to be on the road again so soon. But here she is, desperately clinging to a charging warhorse, trying to keep pace with Yo who is infinitely better with horse riding. About to go slay a dragon.

“I’m sorry you got wrapped up in all this,” Yo says.

Yohane glances over to Yo, who is (dangerously) riding her horse with her head turned towards Yohane, and shakes her head.

“I’m doing this of my own volition. As I said, you’ll need all the help you can get if you don’t want to die.”

Yo laughs dryly, turning back to focus on the road. “I’m hard to kill, you’ll find.”

Yohane shakes her head disbelievingly, and urges her horse onwards to match Yo’s pace. She omitted the real reason why she’s following after Yo — because, against all odds, she’s fallen for the knight, and there’s no way Yohane’s letting Yo die on her before she’s getting that across.

When Yohane offered to let Yo stay with her, she told a slight lie. It’s true that her coven sometimes takes in runaways. But never do they take in runaways with no magical potential, as Yo does.

But if it’s for the woman she loves, it should be fine, right?

Yohane prays to the spirits of her ancestors, hoping granny Baba won’t come and haunt her because she’s sweet on a girl from outside of the coven.

Especially because granny Baba was one ugly woman, and Yohane doesn’t want to see her in her sleep.

She’s so preoccupied by Baba’s wrinkly face that she doesn’t even realize Yo is talking until a few words in.

“—Thanks.”

Yohane blinks, looking towards Yo. “Um, what?”

“Well, I…” Yo licks her lips, her eyes looking firmly ahead, not meeting Yohane’s eyes. “I just wanted to say thank you. For coming with me.”

Yohane sighs. “I already said it’s fine, didn’t I?”

“You did, but I just wanted to be clear.”

Yo breathes in. “I’m… scared, Yohane. I’m scared and I’m tired. The Court wants my head on a pole because of my potential to retake the throne, and they’ve made numerous attempts at my life already. Assassination. War. Now these suicidal runs. There’s little doubt that I’m probably going to die this time.”

“Yo…”

“I… don’t have much more fight in me. But even then, I don’t want to die.” Yo mutters, her voice a bare whisper. “So for me to face the end of my journey with dignity… I need someone with me.”

Yohane stares at Yo for a moment, before shaking her head and speaking up, with a calm but firm voice.

“You’re not going to die. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

She puffs up her chest. “I’m a great black witch, after all.”

Yo chuckles, smiling despite her previous nervousness. “I’m counting on you, then.”

Yohane puffs up her chest proudly, and they continue to ride. They have a long journey ahead of them.

Eventually, night falls. The cold winds sweep in from the north, forcing them to find shelter. They make camp, huddling in a canvas-and-fur tent that only keeps a little of the cold out. They cuddle some more. Yo is warm and comfortable and has an ungodly toned physique that puts Yohane’s skinny, soft body to shame, though Yo assures Yohane that she’d rather have Yohane’s physique than her own. She says it’s a sign of prosperity, to have the privilege to be soft.

Yohane thinks Yo is just being nice, but curling up to her, and being held in her arms (just as she’s holding Yo in her’s) it seems a bit of a moot point, and Yohane decides to just go to sleep.

The next morning they set off, bright and early. That night, they make camp again. The pattern repeats itself for the next few days, as they make the crawl across the map towards the Eoland mountain range in the east.

*****

Finally, they reach the edge of the kingdom of Ura. The mountains tower before them, and the acrid smell of smoke is strong in the air. They pass by many burnt down sections of forest and even burnt buildings. Yo stops sometimes to stare at the charred remains of small villages, bowing her head mournfully.

“The dragon has to be nearby.” She murmurs, spurring her horse on. Yohane nods - the signs are clear.

Though, oddly enough, she hasn’t seen any people, or even corpses. When Yohane points that out, Yo frowns ponderously, staring out into the wilderness.

“Do you think it’s the dragon’s doing?” Yo wonders out loud, glancing at Yohane. “Taking all the bodies? Or… sparing them?”

“What used would a dragon have for bodies, though?” Yohane says, until she reaches a sickening realization. “Unless… it’s for food…”

Yo grimaces at the thought, but doesn’t comment on it, instead drawing her sword and cantering onward.

“We should find the dragon’s lair before it gets dark.” She says.

Yohane nods quickly, and follows after her.

It doesn’t take long for the two of them to track the trail burnt objects to their source - a blackened and scorched cave entrance, unnaturally carved from a granite cliff, with great rents in the stone like blades have been dragged across the rock face. It’s huge, taller even than Yo’s mansion, and wide enough to easily fit five or six wagons side by side.

All the trees surrounding the rock face are brunt down to their bare trunks, and the ground is stained black by soot and ash. The air is acrid and dry, and heat rolls off of the cave in waves, making it hard to even breathe.

Yo gulps, looking deep into the darkness of the cave. Her heart is pounding out a frantic drumbeat, and she grips the hilt of her sword nervously. The yawning darkness seems to gaze back, the jagged stones like gnashing teeth, about to devour her whole.

She takes a step, then stops, trying to will herself to take another step. But her muscles have locked up, and she’s struggling to even take a breath in her nervousness.

This is it. If she goes in now…

She might not come back.

She forces herself to take another step, and already it’s like the heat is threatening to suffocate her. She shivers for a moment despite the blistering heat radiating out from the cave.

Before she can take another step, though, Yohane grabs her wrist from behind.

“Wait.”

Yo turns around questioningly.

Yohane swallows, her words coming out in stammers. “You- You can still walk away from this. You don’t _have_ to do this.”

It’s selfish of her to ask Yo of this now. Now of all times.

But Yohane has the crushing suspicion that if she doesn’t extend this final offer now - she won’t get the chance to later.

“If you do this- You’ll _die_.” She takes a steadying breath, and continues. “I… _beg_ you. Just… come with me. Don’t do this to yourself. _You don’t have to do this._ ”

Her grip on Yo’s wrist tightens.

“My magic isn’t strong enough to protect the both of us against a dragon. If anything happened to you… I couldn’t… I can’t…”

Words fail her. She tries to speak, but none come out.

She can’t stop now. How is she going to communicate the magnitude of the feelings she has tangled up right now? There’s no way she can express even a hair of the things she wants to say to Yo—

Then a desperate idea hits her.

She bites back tears for a moment, and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, she deftly tilts Yo’s chin up and kisses her, full on the lips.

Yo’s eyes widen for a moment in surprise, and Yohane wonders briefly if she’s going to be rejected, but to her eternal relief, she relaxes a moment later, closing her eyes and pushing closer into the kiss. Yo lips are soft, and cooler that Yohane had expected. There’s the faintest tint of orange - Yohane recalls her peeling them throughout the trip. It’s a bittersweet flavour, but Yohane doesn’t mind it so much.

For now, though - Yohane closes her eyes, allowing herself to be engulfed in the sensation of the kiss. Yohane’s hands find their way behind Yo, one cradling the back of her head, one at her hip. Not to be shown up, Yo reaches and runs her hand through Yohane’s hair, feeling the strands part between her fingers like flowing silk. Yohane feels like her chest is going to explode, a dizzying warmth spreading throughout her body. The sensation is exhilarating, addictive even, and she wonders how she’s managed to survive this long without the feeling of Yo’s lips on hers in her life.

Eventually, reluctantly, shortness of breath forces them to break apart, their chests rising and falling as they breathe heavily.

“Please,” Yohane chokes out, before tears start falling, rolling down her cheeks in hot beads. “Don’t go.”

Yo breathes in, and brings Yohane close, resting her forehead against Yohane’s.

“I… I have to go, Yohane.” Yo murmurs. Yohane closes her eyes, feeling her heart shatter a little.

“…But I’m not going to die.”

Yohane opens her eyes again.

“I won’t die, so I can properly respond… okay? So… wait for me. You don’t have to risk yourself any further.” Yo draws herself up to her full height, and smiles confidently. “This is my duty, after all.”

She reaches and pats Yohane on the head, before drawing her sword, taking a deep breath.

“I’m going to go kill a dragon.”

Yohane starts to smile, before her expression quickly turns to abject horror.

Yo whirls around to look behind her.

A pair of golden eyes stare down at the two of them, accompanied by an innumerable glittering of golden light. There’s a row of knife-like teeth, and a flickering tongue of flame. A slithering tail, tipped with golden spines. A set of glittering, sail-like wings, stretching from one side of the cave to another.

“That’s _adorable_.”

A rumbling voice, like the voice of the earthquake itself, speaks up, shaking Yo to the core.

“And how to you propose you do that?”

A leering, serpentine face lowers itself from the shadowed ceiling of the cave, peering at Yo with slitted eyes. “Are you going to use that little toothpick? _Wow~_ I haven’t met some this brave in _years_.”

It suddenly leans very close, with a burst of speed that Yo could barely anticipate. “Or is that just stupidity?”

A puff of hot air assaults Yo’s face before she can so much as step back, as the dragon exhales directly onto Yo. It’s like getting blasted by a scalding desert wind, and Yo is almost certain the topmost layer of her skin is already thoroughly cooked.

But Yo grits her teeth, and pushes through the heat, bringing her sword to bear and slicing straight down onto the dragon’s face. The blade sings as it slices through the air, and with a clean _shlick_ , marks a deep cut on the dragon’s cheek.

“ _Ouch!_ ” The dragon rears back up, gingery cradling its cut lip. The sight of the gargantuan beast holding itself is so absurdly comical that Yo finds it terrifying. With a great deal more caution this time, it peers at Yo, her sword in particular. “Is that… dragonbane on that sword? Oooh, I haven’t seen _that_ in a while. That must mean one of you knows magic…”

It trains its gaze onto Yohane, who takes a reflexive step back. “Is it the pretty one back there? It’s her, isn’t it?”

Yo steps forward, trying her best to be intimidating in the face of a creature many times her size. “You leave her alone! _I’m_ your opponent!”

“Oh, you’re _adorable_.” The dragon simpers, letting out a small lick of flame from its nostrils. It sighs dramatically, and leans back, resting its chin on its claws. “You know, I don’t even feel like eating you anymore. I graciously allow you to leave in peace.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“Ah, anyone’s appetite would be ruined after a show like that… _Kya~~ Oh lady knight, I cannot live without you!”_ The dragon suddenly puts on a startlingly accurate falsetto of Yohane’s voice. Its voice then shifts a little lower, to an imitation of Yo’s voice. _“Don’t worry, amore mio, I will protect you…_ ”

The dragon proceeds to make kissy noises against the back of its own claw. Yo blushes bright red, swinging her sword angrily.

“You heard us? I mean - We didn’t sound like that!”

“You were _right_ in front of my lair - what’s a girl to do?” The dragon - A she-dragon, apparently - chuckles throatily. “So, you’re not going to leave?” She grins, revealing the chilling sight of her rows of dagger point teeth. “The offer is still open.”

Yo is sorely tempted to do as the dragoness says, but she steels her nerves and shakes her head. “I cannot. You are a threat to the kingdom of Ura and her people. I must ask you leave - or I must kill you.”

The dragon is silent for a few long moments before starting again.

“Okay, I think we got off on the wrong claw here.” The dragon slowly extends a claw at Yo. It takes a solid five seconds for Yo to realize she’s offering a hand-shake. “My name is Mari. You are?”

Without hesitation, Yo cuts off the tip of the claw.

“ _Ow!_ What was that for?” The dragon whines, withdrawing the claw quickly. She examines the nail, peering at the edge of it. “Ooh, you actually cut it quite nicely…”

“That was for your crimes against the people of Ura - for those you have killed, and those whose livelihoods you’ve destroyed!”

The dragon tilts her head in a way that might indicate confusion. “I’ve never killed anyone, though? I don’t like human meat anyway, and spitting fire makes my throat hurt - the most I’ve done is steal a cow from somewhere, and we had a pleasant conversation after that… then I let it go.”

“But…” Yo frowns. “The burning outside?”

“Oh! Those old things,” Mari waves a claw dismissively. “Some guys in metal armor came along with torches. They also brought me all this gold, and asked nicely if I could stay put.”

She shifts her body, revealing a sizeable mound of treasures behind her.

Yohane’s expression darkens, and she exchanges a look with Yo. “The Court…”

“Those bastards…”

Yo is shaking with anger, now no longer directed at the dragon. She grips her sword tightly, grinding her teeth together in her fury.

“They’d burn the lands of their own people, just to get rid of me…?”

She breathes out slowly, and turns to Yohane. “We’re leaving.”

“Eh?”

“It’s over.” Yo gives Yohane a soft smile. “It’s time for me to disappear.”

She turns back to the dragon, giving her a deep bow. “I’m terribly sorry. It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. You’re not a threat to the people of this region, are you?”

“Not unless they’re here to steal my bling,” Mari shrugs.

“Then I apologize for attacking you so recklessly. That’s entirely my mistake.”

She straightens up, and looks up at the dragon. “If the knights of the Court ever return, could you please tell them you’ve eaten me?”

“Ah, well, you’re not really my type,” the dragon chuckles. “But sure - I’m fine with that.”

Yo holds out her hand to Yohane. Yohane stares at it for a moment before taking her hand shyly. She glances at the dragon, and gives her a polite nod. “Then we’ll be leaving. Please take care, Miss Mari.”

“Don’t get lost, lovebirds,” Mari calls out, as they turn to leave the cave.

Yo chuckles, and shakes her head as they step out into the warm glow of the setting sun.

*****

“Are you going to stop for real, this time?” Yohane asks, turning to look at Yo.

“Yeah. I’m getting tired.” Yo sighs, staring ahead at the golden sky. “I just want peace and quiet now.”

Yohane nods, and hesitates slightly before shyly asking, “Are… are you going to come and live with me now?”

Yo’s only response is her leaning over and giving Yohane a kiss on the cheek.

Yohane’s face goes red, and she looks away, though she continues to hold Yo’s hand tightly.

“Ah,” Yo says, remembering something. “You’ll have to move house a little, though.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Because, I don’t want to become a moldy mushroom living underground.”

“Ah, but it’s a pain to move…”

“I’ll help! We can get a cottage by a lake, or something. Live there, get a garden farm going.”

“Are you sure you’ll do the work? I don’t want to end up being the one who does everything…”

“Well, I guess we don’t have to decide right now…”

Yo breathes out, feeling as though a great weight has lifted from her shoulders.

“After all, I’m disappearing for a long, long time.”

She grins at Yohane, and leans in for a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally the longest single thing I've ever written in my life.
> 
> I really needed to get the idea out of my head, but it just keeps getting more and more extensive :(
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


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